ROG Phone 9 Unboxing
Kicking off the ROG Phone 9 review with the unboxing, the packaging is black in color with a cover having some AniMe Matrix-esque design elements. It’s not minimalistic but the design is still simple in nature. Inside the box, we found the following items:
- Braided USB-C to USB-C cable
- 65W charger
- SIM ejector pin
- Documentations
- Protective case
- The ROG Phone 9 itself
Specifications
| SoC | Snapdragon 8 Elite, 3nm 2 x Oryon V2 Phoenix L @ 4.32 GHz + 6 x Oryon V2 Phoenix M @ 3.53 GHz Adreno 830 GPU |
| RAM | 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.0 NTFS support for external storage |
| Display | 6.78″ (2400 x 1080) LTPO AMOLED Display, 1.07 billion colors, HDR10, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 720Hz touch sampling rate 388ppi 2500 nits (peak) 1Hz to 185Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate 10-point multitouch |
| Audio | Multi-magnet dual stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack (32 bit) Hi-Res Audio Dirac Virtuo Audio Wizard Tri-microphones wth ASUS Noise Reduction Technology |
| Rear Camera | 50MP f/1.9 wide angle camera, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, gimbal OIS 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide angle camera, 13mm, 120˚ 5MP f/2.4 macro camera LED Flash, HDR, panorama Up to 8K 30FPS and 720p 480FPS video recording, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ |
| Selfie Camera | 32MP f/2.5 wide angle selfie cam Panorama, HDR Up to Full HD 30FPS video recording |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, NFC 2 x USB-C 3.2 with DP 1.2 and OTG support |
| Battery | 5800mAh Silicon-carbon Battery 65W fast charging with PD3.0, PPS, QC5 support 15W wireless 10W reverse wired |
| Dimensions | 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm 227g |
| Ingress Protection | IP68 |
| Software | Android 15 |
| Colors | Phantom Black, Storm White |
Performance
Starting off our benchmark suite with Antutu v10, we can see that the ROG Phone 9 had a very strong showing. It didn’t take the top spot at first but once X-Mode was activated, it went above and beyond our expectations. That is a near-300,000 point difference compared to the runner up and a 560,000 point difference compared to running it without X-Mode. Either way, you’re looking at significant firepower here.
A similar pattern can be seen in Geekbench 6, where it runs plenty good on its own but X-Mode really kicks it up a notch. I do find it interesting that when it runs normally, it loses to the Dimensity 9400 chip in both single and multi core tests but if it really puts everything it has into performance, it can really go far. Just a few years ago, what it achieved in X-Mode’s single core score is what flagships managed to get for multi core. Truly mind boggling.
Moving on to 3DMark, the ROG Phone 9 in X-Mode managed to take the top spot in Wild Life Extreme, Solar Bay, and Steel Nomad Light. Without X-Mode, it still shows admirable performance but if your focus is on the fastest gameplay experience possible with no regard for energy efficiency, you have the option. Interestingly, the thermal efficiency in both standard and X-Mode seems to be about the same, at 45% and 43% respectively. The figures aren’t particularly pleasing to see as it means that thermal throttling occurs rather often.
While we would normally include GPUScore’s Sacred Bench next, there seems to be an odd issue where it ran excruciatingly slow on this device across all modes. As such, we will be omitting it this time around until we figure out the exact problem.
Lastly on PCMark’s Work 3.0 benchmark, the ROG Phone 9 had a bizarrely huge difference in both standard and X-Mode. For the former, it seems to be lagging behind preceding flagship chips but with the latter, it easily took the top spot. It’s likely that the device is tuned to only release its full potential when it calls for it, hence the lower scores in standard mode.
For those of you who are wondering about the battery life, the ROG Phone 9 lasted 20 hours and 15 minutes (1,215 minutes) in PCMark’s Work 3.0 endurance test. This is with Auto Refresh Rate enabled as it’s the one most consumers will be sticking to for efficiency and smoothness. Once again, a gaming phone easily swoops in to claim the crown of longest battery life and if it stays this way until our best smartphones of 2025 list comes around, it will bag the award.
As for charging, this is what we managed to get with the ROG Phone 9 using its included 65W charger starting from 2%:
- 15 minutes = 47% battery life
- 30 minutes = 77% battery life
- 45 minutes = 98% battery life
- 48 minutes = 100% battery life
Camera
The ROG Phone 9’s main camera produces good 12.5MP binned photos with decent detail and vibrant colors, but the dynamic range is average, and exposure metering tends to overexpose, clipping highlights. The full 50MP mode offers slightly more detail and less sharpening, but also more noise. Portrait mode struggles with subject detection and separation, though the background blur is convincing. Portraits using the 3x telephoto camera are impressive, while 2x zoom shots from the main camera maintain good quality with slightly softer details.
The 32MP 3x telephoto camera delivers 8MP photos with acceptable quality in daylight, featuring likable colors but soft details and limited dynamic range. The ultrawide camera produces decent shots with good colors and minimal distortion, though surfaces may appear soft, and the dynamic range is narrow. Macro shots on the regular ROG Phone 9 are satisfactory but unremarkable. Selfies from the 8MP front camera are detailed, with accurate skin tones and colors, and an acceptable dynamic range. Overall, the camera system performs well but lacks standout features.
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The Good
There are a number of good reasons to consider the ROG Phone 9. For starters, ASUS opted for a toned down look as opposed to the in-your-face gamer aesthetic. Don’t get me wrong, the design is still catered to gamers but rather than the youths that spends endless hours grinding in League of Legends, this is the young adult that has matured with responsibilities. It’s far from bland but at least it won’t stick out like a sore thumb if this was ever brought into a corporate meeting.
Next up, it has an excellent display with extremely thin bezels. It’s a 6.78-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED display with 2500 nits peak brightness, Gorila Glass Victus 2 and HDR10 support. 720Hz touch sampling rate ensures fast response times while the 185Hz adaptive refresh rate gives you buttery smooth visuals without affecting battery life since it can drop down to a mere 1Hz. Moreover, the 10-point multitouch support means it can register up to 10 points of contact simultaneously, and it still works with gloves on for added convenience.
The speakers are no slouch either as the multi-magnet dual stereo speakers bring loud volume with rich clarity. Bass is somewhat tinny but that’s likely done to emphasize on a sound profile that focuses more on being able to hear in-game surroundings so you can perform at your best. If you want a private listening experience, this does have a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can listen in with zero latency. Apart from that, it has Hi-Res Audio, Dirac Virtuo, and Audio Wizard to give you a more immersive audio experience.
Speaking of headphone jack, it also has a good array of connectivity options. This includes Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band), Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and two USB-C 3.2 ports that support DisplayPort 1.2 and OTG. I would have loved to see an IR Blaster here for added convenience but I think that might be asking too much, especially since its appeal has waned over the years.
It’s worth noting that the ROG Phone 9 comes with Android 15 right out of the box. It also comes with 5 years of security updates guaranteed so if you tend to use smartphones for a long period of time, you should have no worries about being left out on potential security exploits. I have a bit more to say about this but I’ll save it for the next section.
For the software part, there are plenty of things I could write about, and it can be an entire article on its own. The ROG Phone 9 delivers a robust gaming and smartphone experience, balancing high customization with practical features while maintaining its unique gaming identity. I’ll do a quick summary of its plethora of software goodies:
- Customizable UI: Users can choose between ASUS’s custom UI and a cleaner AOSP-like experience, with options to personalize the quick settings panel, notification shade, and themes.
- Gaming Enhancements:
- X Mode: Activates custom animations and optimized performance for gaming.
- Game Genie: An in-game overlay offering quick access to features like performance metrics, macros, and AirTrigger mapping.
- Armoury Crate: A central hub for game profiles and performance tuning, allowing PC-like tweaks to graphics and system settings.
- Advanced Controls: Features like vibration mapping, real-time performance overlays, and network optimization enhance the gaming experience.
- Battery and System Management:
- Battery Care: Includes slow charging, charging limits, and intelligent scheduling for better battery longevity.
- Mobile Manager: Centralized maintenance tools for storage, memory, and security.
- AI Features: Includes semantic search for easier navigation and noise cancellation for improved call and communication clarity.
- Performance Tuning: Offers in-depth adjustments to system-level settings, allowing users to fine-tune CPU and GPU behavior for specific gaming scenarios.
- Additional Features: Includes screen recording, screenshot tools, and gesture controls for added convenience.
The Bad
Of course, it has its share of drawbacks. For starters, while I praised the ROG Phone 9 for its 5 years of security updates, it only comes with two major Android OS upgrades and nothing more. In other words, this means that it will be only be updated up to Android 17. Unless things change, this is a rather disappointing figure and users would likely be pushed to upgrade sooner than necessary.
Next up, the ROG Phone 9 has no eSIM support except in Taiwan and Japan. Sure, most people are still using physical SIM cards but with eSIM growing in popularity, it should naturally be included, especially since most other smartphones out there already have it by default. It’s also going to be somewhat annoying for existing eSIM users as they would need to take an extra step of reapplying for a physical one.
Lastly, while the performance is capable of being excellent, our tests show that it definitely needs a cooler like the AeroActive Cooler X for a more consistent gaming experience. Thermal throttling occurs way too often without it and while the AeroActive Cooler X is useful since it adds more buttons for you to use, it also means having to carry an accessory around with you if you’re an avid mobile gamer.
ROG Phone 9 Verdict
To me, the ROG Phone 9 blurs the line of being a gaming phone and a standard flagship smartphone. It’s a great device for sure and given its price of RM3,999, you’re getting a 2025 flagship-caliber smartphone. You can take good photos with this, so you don’t have to feel like you’re making a huge compromise by going for a gaming phone but if camera is the focal point of your smartphone purchase decision, you might be better off with a standard flagship as those can give better colors and details. None however can match the battery life that this one offers.
At the end of our ROG Phone 9 review, I award this flagship smartphone with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.
Big thanks to ASUS Malaysia for sending us this smartphone for the purpose of this review.
